Sacramento daily record-union., 1887-08-06
ALTERNATIoN-oF-sE THEORY

writer upon this subject in the Prairie
Farmer says: No argument is needed to
show that If system can be pursued III
stock-raIsing by which the owners may
control the sex of the increase of their
herds, such 4 system will be of immense
value. Theories having this sex-control-
ling end in view have been promulgated
from time to time during late years, but no
system hitherto advanced has proved to be
sufficiently well-grounded i'll the principles
of nature to obtain footing In the Lon
don Lice-Stock Journal of June 10th. an
English short-horn breeder, A. I. Matthews,
announces the results of series of careful
experiments, involving twenty births of
calves. His experiments were undertaken
and Systematically followed up to test the
theory that cow mated at her first heat
after calving will bring forth calf of op-
posite sex to that of its immediate prede-
cessor if mated at her second heat, the
calf will be of the same sex as its last pre-
decessor; if mated at the third heat, the
calf will be of the same sex as if mated at
first heat; if mated at fourth heat, oppo-
site sex will result, and so on. He bred
twenty short-horn cows with great care,
and tabulated statement of the results
shows that in nineteen cases out of twenty
the calves were of the sex to be expected
by this theory. He reports the one excep-
tion as probably the result of oversight.
The theory is not new in this country.
John r. Stuyvesant, of Poughkeepsie, New
York, presented it several years ago. Says
Miles, in Stock Breeding" The theory
is based on two assumptions, viz: First,
that the sex of the offspring depends en-
tirely upon the female; and second, that
every alternate egg or ovum is of the same
sex. The first assumption is far from be-
ing proven, as cases have been cited where
greater proportion of the get of certain
stations were females, or males while the
same mares put to other stations would
not produce more of one sex than another.
Mention is made Of man in Ireland who
was the youngest of forty successive sons of
one father by three successive wives The
var,ableness of the sexes in plural births
seems to contradict the alternation-of-sex
theory. Churchill" says Miles, ere
ports eleven cases of four children at one
birth, of which four were BOYS in three
cases. four girls in two cases: three bows
and one girl in three cases; two bows and
two girls in one case; one boy and three
girls in two cases." 1t is often noticed that
nearly or quite all OF maximum litters of
pigs are of only one sex. While the ex-
pertinent above mentioned is worthy of
recognition, and the theory not entirely
without reason for further attention, vet
the facts presented are too limited, in the
face OF other facts, to be taken as conclu-
siye. Careful experiments in stock breed
ing might be carried on very proftably.
Negative facts could at least be produced.
should no correct principle of action ever
be found.
FRUIT DRYING.
George w. Meade d Co. have dried and
are now packing for market one million
pounds of apricots at their immense dry
ing and packing house in this city.
Peaches are now coming in quite freely.
and full force of hands will be engaged
in the process of drying this fruit next
week. The manager, Mr.. Schramm, es-
Inmates the amount of dried peaches TO be
handled by this firm at from 500 to 900
tons, or from 1,600, ,000. to 2, 1000 600 pounds.
After the peach-dryiug season is over the
raisins will demand the whole attention
OF the tirni. They packed 10000 twenty
pound boxes of raisins last year, and as
sure US that they viii put up 200, 600 boxes,
or 100000 pounds, this season. Fresno
will take her proper place this season in
the rank of frIit-producing counties-at
the head.-Fresno Republican.
SEX IN EGGS.
A correspondent of the London Journal
Of Horticulture says in reference to this
question: Last winter an old poultry
keeper told me he could distinguish the